Every startup now has an “AI breakthrough.” Often a blockchain one, too.

Then I noticed a second fad growing just as fast: the ethicists. AI ethicists. Blockchain ethicists. Startup ethicists. VC ethicists. Unicorn ethicists. Someone called them “ethics natives.”

So back in 2024 I wrote a short, blunt piece arguing something that still gets me in trouble:

There is no such thing as tech There is only

And one other thing, which I’ll let the piece name for itself.

This isn’t a word game. Most of the #AIEthics I see starts with the trolley problem and works outward from edge cases. I think that’s backward, and in the piece I explain why it may do more harm than good.

I also go back to what the ancient Greeks meant when they coined the word. It’s simpler, more practical, and more demanding than what most #TechEthics courses teach today. Once you see it, a lot of the current #ArtificialIntelligence debate starts to look like the cart in front of the horse.

Two years on, with AI governance now a boardroom line item and “responsible AI” printed on every pitch deck, I’d argue even louder.

So here’s my question: can you define without naming a technology, an industry, or a dilemma? If not, what exactly are we applying?

Full piece and podcast episode below. 👇

#Ethics #Philosophy #Stoicism #Leadership.

Read or listen to “It’s Not Tech” here: [ https://snglrty.co/4oYG9A7](https://snglrty.co/4oYG9A7)

There is no such thing as tech, venture capital, startup, blockchain, IPO etc. There is only and bullshit